The Public Theater strives to make its performances and facilities accessible to all our patrons. For additional information or if you have questions, need assistance, or an accommodation not mentioned below, please contact us at 212.967.7555 (voice) or accessibility@publictheater.org. For more information regarding accessibility at The Public please click here. For specific information regarding accessibility at the Delacorte Theater for Free Shakespeare in the Park click here. For a calendar of upcoming accessible performances at the Delacorte Theater click here.

The upper level, bar stools 301-316, 401-405, and 501-509, includes seating in bar stools with backs and footrests and is accessed by two stairs up with handrails available.

Guests who have difficulty climbing and/or ascending stairs, face challenges with their vision or depth perception and finally may be attending the performance with a service animal are encouraged to contact us at 212.967.7555 or email us at accessibility@publictheater.org for assistance with purchasing seats in Joe's Pub. To view a seat map of Joe's Pub, for it's current or future productions, click here and use the menu at the top of the page to navigate to your production.

In addition if you arrive at the theater and still have concerns about accessing your seats please feel free to speak to a member of the Front of House Staff.

Newman Theater

Located on the 1st Floor

The Newman is equipped with a wheelchair lift to the theater's accessible seats and requires a staff escort, but the majority of the theater is only accessible by stairs.

Proscenium Theater

The Newman has two doors that access the top of the theater and can be accessed after climbing 8 stairs with handrails available

Center Section has 18 rows. (information below is listed as entrance/exit and handrails are available unless otherwise stated)

Row S 2 stairs up/2 stairs down (no handrail)

Row R flat surface no additional stairs needed to access

Row Q 2 stairs down/2 stairs up

Row P 4 stairs down/4 stairs up

Row O 7 stairs down and then 2 stairs up with no handrail/2 stairs down with no handrail and then 7 stairs up

Row N 7 stairs down/7 stairs up

Door A wheelchair access by lift or for those that require limited stairs, 3 stairs up/3 stairs down (requires staff escort)

Row M 9 stairs down/9 stairs up

Row L 11 stairs down/11 stairs up

Row K 14 stairs down and then 2 stairs up with no handrail/2 stairs down with no handrail and then 14 stairs up

Row J 14 stairs down/14 stairs up

Door B available for patrons who require access to the theater with limited stairs, 3 stairs down/3 stairs up (requires staff escort)

Row H 16 stairs down/16 stairs up

Row G 18 stairs down/18 stairs up

Door C available for patrons who require access to the theater with limited stairs, 6 stairs down/6 stairs up (requires staff escort)

Row F 20 stairs down/20 stairs up

Row E 22 stairs down/22 stairs up

Row D 24 stairs down/24 stairs up

Row C 26 stairs down/26 stairs up

Row B 28 stairs down/28 stairs up

Row A 30 stairs down/30 stairs up

It is also important to note that the stair height varies in the Newman

Guests who have difficulty climbing and/or ascending stairs, face challenges with their vision or depth perception and finally may be attending the performance with a service animal are encouraged to contact us at 212.967.7555 or email us at accessibility@publictheater.org for assistance with purchasing seats in the Newman. To view a seat map of the Newman, for its current or future productions, click here and use the menu at the top of the page to navigate to your production.

In addition if you arrive at the theater and still have concerns about accessing your seats please feel free to speak to a member of the Front of House Staff.

Shiva Theater

Located on the 1st Floor behind the Taub Box Office

The majority of the seats in the Shiva are only accessible by stairs

The Shiva Theater is a flexible space and doesn't have a standard configuration. We encourage you to contact us if you have specific questions about the number of stairs required to access your seats as well as the distance of your row from the stage. To view a seat map of the Shiva, for it's current or future productions, click here and use the menu at the top of the page to navigate to your production.

Guests who have difficulty climbing and/or ascending stairs, face challenges with their vision or depth perception and finally may be attending the performance with a service animal are encouraged to contact us at 212.967.7555 or email us at accessibility@publictheater.org for assistance with purchasing seats in the Shiva.

In addition if you arrive at the theater and still have concerns about accessing your seats please feel free to speak to a member of the Front of House Staff.

The Public Theater 1 Mezzanine and 2nd Floor Venues

The Library

Located on the 1M Mezzanine Level

Accessed by using the B staircase , by climbing 16 stairs with handrails available, on the Northside of the Lobby or by the North Elevator adjacent to the guest restrooms.

The entirety of The Library is accessible by wheelchair.

Guests who face challenges with their vision or depth perception and finally may be dining at The Library with a service animal are encouraged to contact us at 212.539.8790 for assistance with making reservations.

Anspacher Theater

Located on the 2nd Floor

Accessed by using the B staircase, by climbing 34 stairs with handrails available, on the Northside of the Lobby or by the North Elevator adjacent to the guest restrooms.

The majority of the seats in the Anspacher are only accessible by stairs.

Three quarter square thrust theater

The Anspacher has four doors that access the upper level of the theater and can be accessed after climbing 14 stairs with handrails available.

Center Section or the 100s section has 6 rows, with the first row at stage level and the last row at 17 feet from the stage, and handrails are available

Row A stage level/12 stairs down

Row B 2 stairs up/10 stairs down

Row C 4 stairs up/8 stairs down

Row D 6 stairs up/6 stairs down

Row E 8 stairs up/4 stairs down

Row F 10 stairs up/2 stairs down

House Left Section or the odds section has 8 rows with the first row at stage level and the last at 23 feet from the stage and handrails are available.

Row A stage level/12 stairs down

Row B 2 stairs up/10 stairs down

Row C 4 stairs up/8 stairs down

Row D 6 stairs up/6 stairs down

Row E 8 stairs up/4 stairs down

Row F 10 stairs up/2 stairs down

Row G 12 stairs up/flat surface

Row H 2 stairs up/2 stairs down

House Right Section or the evens section has 8 rows with the first row at stage level and the last 23 feet from the stage and handrails are available.

Row A stage level/12 stairs down

Row B 2 stairs up/10 stairs down

Row C 4 stairs up/8 stairs down

Row D 6 stairs up/6 stairs down

Row E 8 stairs up/4 stairs down

Row F 10 stairs up/2 stairs down

Row G 12 stairs up/flat surface

Row H 2 stairs up/2 stairs down

Guests who have difficulty climbing and/or ascending stairs, face challenges with their vision or depth perception and finally may be attending the performance with a service animal are encouraged to contact us at 212.967.7555 or email us at accessibility@publictheater.org for assistance with purchasing seats in the Anspacher. To view a seat map of the Anspacher, for it's current or future productions, click here and use the menu at the top of the page to navigate to your production.

In addition if you arrive at the theater and still have concerns about accessing your seats please feel free to speak to a member of the Front of House Staff.

The Public Theater 3rd Floor Venues

LuEsther Hall

Located on the 3rd Floor

Accessed by using the C staircase, by climbing 66 stairs with handrails available, on the Southside of the Lobby or by the South Elevator.

The majority of the seats in The LuEsther are only accessible by stairs.

The LuEsther is a flexible space and doesn't have a standard configuration. We encourage you to contact us if you have specific questions about the number of stairs required to access your seats as well as the distance of your row from the stage. To view a seat map of the LuEsther, for it's current or future productions, click here and use the menu at the top of the page to navigate to your production.

Guests who have difficulty climbing and/or ascending stairs, face challenges with their vision or depth perception and finally may be attending the performance with a service animal are encouraged to contact us at 212.967.7555 or email us. at accessibility@publictheater.org for assistance with purchasing seats in the LuEsther.

In addition if you arrive at the theater and still have concerns about accessing your seats please feel free to speak to a member of the Front of House Staff.

Martinson Hall

Located on the 3rd Floor

Accessed by using the B staircase, by climbing 68 stairs with handrails available, on the Northside of the Lobby or by the North Elevator adjacent to the guest restrooms.

The majority of the seats in the Martinson are only accessible by stairs.

Proscenium Theater

Center Section has 14 rows with the Row A seven feet from the stage, Row G 21 feet from the stage, and Row O 42 feet from the stage.

Row A Entrance Level

Row B 1 stair up

Row C 2 stairs up

Row D 3 stairs up

Row E 4 stairs up

Row F 5 stairs up

Row G 6 stairs up

Row H 7 stairs up

Row J 8 stairs up

Row K 9 stairs up

Row L 10 stairs up

Row M 11 stairs up

Row N 12 stairs up

Row O 13 stairs up

Guests who have difficulty climbing and/or ascending stairs, face challenges with their vision or depth perception and finally may be attending the performance with a service animal are encouraged to contact us at 212.967.7555 or email us at accessibility@publictheater.org for assistance with purchasing seats in the Martinson. To view a seat map of the Martinson, for it's current or future productions, click here and use the menu at the top of the page to navigate to your production.

In addition if you arrive at the theater and still have concerns about accessing your seats please feel free to speak to a member of the Front of House Staff.

Accessible Performances Calendars

The Public and Our Theaters

Our Partners in Accessibility

The Public Theater proudly partners with a number of organizations to present accessible performances at both The Public Theater and the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.

The Public Theater is proud to partner with Hands On for our American Sign Language interpreted performances of Free Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater.

Hands On is a non-profit arts service organization whose mission is to provide access to New York’s vibrant arts and cultural mainstream for the Deaf and hard of hearing communities. Hands On has coordinated interpreted performances at the Delacorte Theatre since 1984 making possible access for thousands of Deaf and hard of hearing audiences to one of New York’s most iconic and exciting summer events.

To learn more about HandsOn and future Free Shakespeare in the Park ASL interpreted performances, as well as other opportunities to attend ASL interpreted performances in New York, please visit their website.

The Public Theater is proud to partner with TDF.org for Open Caption and Audio Described performances for all of our Public Season shows downtown at The Public Theater and for our Free Shakespeare in the Park season at the Delacorte in Central Park.

TAP is an accessibility department within TDF, a not-for-profit service organization for the performing arts. Since 1979, TAP has sought to make theatre accessible, enjoyable and affordable to people with disabilities. The TAP audience is comprised of individuals of all ages who are hard of hearing, deaf, partially sighted, blind and on the autism spectrum, as well as people, who for medical reasons, cannot climb stairs, require aisle seating or use wheelchairs. TAP services include open captioned, sign language interpreted, audio described and autism-friendly performances. TDF’s National Open Captioning Initiative partners with performing arts groups around the country to provide open captioning for their local audiences. TDF’s National Autism Theatre Initiative supports organizations around the country in planning their first autism or sensory friendly performance. TAP also partners with the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to make open captioning services available to eligible arts organizations throughout New York State. Additionally, hundreds of tristate area students with hearing and/or vision loss are served each year through TAP’s Access for Young Audiences through in-class workshops followed by a Broadway performance which is either simultaneously open captioned and sign language interpreted or audio described. For more information about TAP please visit their website.

The Public Theater is proud to partner with HAI at YAI in offering access to accessible seating at performances of Free Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater.

Since 1969 HAI (www.hainyc.org) has reached over 16 million disabled, frail and senior New Yorkers through access to an array of arts and cultural events including Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater. In addition to community events, HAI schedules live performance in health and social service facilities, arts based programming in schools, audio description for blind and visually impaired audiences at Broadway shows, access to a special viewing area for disabled individuals at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as well as arts workshops and studio time for mental health consumers. HAI tickets for Shakespeare in the Park are limited and reserved for frail elderly, individuals using wheelchairs or walkers and those with disabilities that make standing difficult. If you are interested in reserving a ticket for yourself and one guest please contact: by email: ufenninger@hainyc.org by phone: 347.701.3114